Something I care a lot about and am constantly working on getting better at is learning about gender. I am a feminist, or a person who wants equity because groups of people are being subjugated because of who they are. I am truly passionate about my Gender & Women’s Studies major (GWS) because the information I have learned about feminism has changed my life. The more I know about gender studies, the more enlightened and empowered I feel, so I hope to teach feminist theory to young people one day as my career. My expertise in gender studies is constantly growing as I observe and reflect on society using a feminist lens. I have learned about gender in my internships, through independent reading, and classes.
One of the most influential internships I have participated in is the Peer Educator program in the Women’s Center at URI. I have only been a Peer Educator for about a month, but I have already grown so much in my knowledge of violence prevention on college campuses. As a Peer Educator, I give presentations to URI 101 classes about how to be an effective bystander. I teach the freshmen about stalking, partner violence, and sexual violence. I do this so that they can recognize warning signs of these three types of power-based personal violence and be able to step in if they decide it is safe to do so. I have grown so much as a person by doing URI 101 presentations. I have gained confidence in my teaching abilities and hope in my ability to make a difference in the world. I know that there are people in my audiences who have been personally affected by acts of power-based personal violence, so I am so grateful to be able to show them ways to heal. Being someone who supports those impacted by gender-based violence has been a huge step in my process towards become an advocate of all oppressed people.
Another way I have gained expertise in topics related to gender is through reading, discussing, and reflecting on ways gender stereotypes impact the way people live. One of my main resources for information is everydayfeminism.com. Everyday Feminism is an electronic magazine with articles on self-worth, sexuality, body image, violence, work, parenting, gender, the LGBTQ community, race, and class. In addition to Everyday Feminism, I read scholarly articles about gender-related research studies that interest me. I engage in meaningful discourse about gender with the gender club on campus called Students for the Advancement of Gender Equity (SAGE). By meeting with other people my age and talking about gender, I am able to learn about other peoples’ perspectives on current feminist thinking and grow my personal knowledge base. When I am alone, I think about fun ways to engage young people in feminist discussions and dream of having my own high school classroom where I can get students excited about feminism.
The last way I gain expertise in gender studies is through my academic classes at URI. In the past, I have taken courses on women in international social movements, gender inequality through a sociological lens, diversity in film, and violence prevention. In each of these courses I have learned the fundamental ways of thinking for feminists. Having a shared language, or knowing the same definitions for key terms, is imperative if one wants to be part of a social movement such as the feminist movement. I have also learned how to put feminist theories into action by doing service work and interviewing experts in the field. This semester, I am doing my honors project on the gender-related topic of marriage, which will further enrich my studies. I will be analyzing my family’s letters from three generations of marriages in which the men were in the navy and the women were at home raising children and maintaining the household. By using feminist research methods, I am going to continue to grow as a feminist thinker and scholar.
The more I learn about gender, the more I am interested in the topic, which is why I have some expertise in the area. Not only do I study gender in my classes, but I partake in internships and do my own independent research that complements what I learn in the classroom. Knowing about feminism has drastically changed my world view and made me into the person I am today. My primary motivator in learning about gender is enabling other people to be their true selves. By continuing to practice learning and teaching about feminism, I will be able to share my expertise with others and play an important role in the feminist movement.
Personal Expertise in Gender
Something I care a lot about and am constantly working on getting better at is learning about gender. I am a feminist, or a person who wants equity because groups of people are being subjugated because of who they are. I am truly passionate about my Gender & Women’s Studies major (GWS) because the information I have learned about feminism has changed my life. The more I know about gender studies, the more enlightened and empowered I feel, so I hope to teach feminist theory to young people one day as my career. My expertise in gender studies is constantly growing as I observe and reflect on society using a feminist lens. I have learned about gender in my internships, through independent reading, and classes.
One of the most influential internships I have participated in is the Peer Educator program in the Women’s Center at URI. I have only been a Peer Educator for about a month, but I have already grown so much in my knowledge of violence prevention on college campuses. As a Peer Educator, I give presentations to URI 101 classes about how to be an effective bystander. I teach the freshmen about stalking, partner violence, and sexual violence. I do this so that they can recognize warning signs of these three types of power-based personal violence and be able to step in if they decide it is safe to do so. I have grown so much as a person by doing URI 101 presentations. I have gained confidence in my teaching abilities and hope in my ability to make a difference in the world. I know that there are people in my audiences who have been personally affected by acts of power-based personal violence, so I am so grateful to be able to show them ways to heal. Being someone who supports those impacted by gender-based violence has been a huge step in my process towards become an advocate of all oppressed people.
Another way I have gained expertise in topics related to gender is through reading, discussing, and reflecting on ways gender stereotypes impact the way people live. One of my main resources for information is everydayfeminism.com. Everyday Feminism is an electronic magazine with articles on self-worth, sexuality, body image, violence, work, parenting, gender, the LGBTQ community, race, and class. In addition to Everyday Feminism, I read scholarly articles about gender-related research studies that interest me. I engage in meaningful discourse about gender with the gender club on campus called Students for the Advancement of Gender Equity (SAGE). By meeting with other people my age and talking about gender, I am able to learn about other peoples’ perspectives on current feminist thinking and grow my personal knowledge base. When I am alone, I think about fun ways to engage young people in feminist discussions and dream of having my own high school classroom where I can get students excited about feminism.
The last way I gain expertise in gender studies is through my academic classes at URI. In the past, I have taken courses on women in international social movements, gender inequality through a sociological lens, diversity in film, and violence prevention. In each of these courses I have learned the fundamental ways of thinking for feminists. Having a shared language, or knowing the same definitions for key terms, is imperative if one wants to be part of a social movement such as the feminist movement. I have also learned how to put feminist theories into action by doing service work and interviewing experts in the field. This semester, I am doing my honors project on the gender-related topic of marriage, which will further enrich my studies. I will be analyzing my family’s letters from three generations of marriages in which the men were in the navy and the women were at home raising children and maintaining the household. By using feminist research methods, I am going to continue to grow as a feminist thinker and scholar.
The more I learn about gender, the more I am interested in the topic, which is why I have some expertise in the area. Not only do I study gender in my classes, but I partake in internships and do my own independent research that complements what I learn in the classroom. Knowing about feminism has drastically changed my world view and made me into the person I am today. My primary motivator in learning about gender is enabling other people to be their true selves. By continuing to practice learning and teaching about feminism, I will be able to share my expertise with others and play an important role in the feminist movement.